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Why would St Louis deal Wacha for a lesser SP, a reliever, and a guy who isn't close to being MLB ready? They're coming off a 100-win season. Thats' a terrible trade proposal.

They now have the currency to move Sandoval for Shields (if the Padres bite) and get a 3B or 1B from someone else.

This is a good point.

Good point. But as much as I hate the f***ing midget (Rosenthal) I can't remember the last time he was wrong about a big announcement like this.

If he pitches at an elite level for those three years, he will opt out. In four years, 30 million a year will be the going rate for "almost elite" pitching. It wasn't even ten years ago that a 20 mill/year contract was a big deal, now a guy with decent speed and some pop can get 20 per, no problem. That's the way I look at it.

He will exercise the opt-out. Mark my words. I swore they would get Price, and I swear he will leave midway through his deal. Remember that CC's original contract actually worked out pretty damn good for the Yanks. The extension is what killed them. Also, CC was a clear candidate for fat guy decline.

Pretty sure he's being sarcastic. This deal actually helps the farm system now (no prospects given up for a top of the rotation pitcher) and in the future (no draft pick compensation for Price).

I'll bet dollars to doughnuts he will opt out.

The postseason ERA? Really? Get the f*** out.

By the time this deal reaches year 4, it will look like "a pretty good deal" with the way baseball salaries are exploding. Another thing people need to take into consideration is the actual value of the draft pick the Sox get to keep by not signing a QO guy.

Actually, Young at Fenway is a very bad idea. A 57.9 career FB% screams cornucopia of XBH.

Good signing if you ask me. Remember Gabe Kapler? It sure was nice having a dependable 4th OF who could fake it in all three OF positions and mash lefties.

Massive backpedaling. Anyone who's been here a couple of years knows you've always been a "WS or bust" guy.

No, but (before last year) they probably saw Porcello as having more upside than Zimmerman. Not to mention the fact that Zimmerman pitched in the offense-starved NL East with all of those gigantic stadiums.

However, the Royals had a BP that pitched to a 2.72 ERA as a unit, and whose seven best relievers all pitched 24 IP or more with an ERA not higher than 2.96. They essentially shortened games to 5 Innings. Unless the Sox can build that kind of BP and a lot of above average pitching, a top of the rotation pitcher is a need for them.

Because after two years of absolute suck, the Sox have to open up the coffers or risk further alienating an already pissed off fanbase that pays for the most expensive tickets in baseball. As for the SP part, if they're going to sign a pitcher, they should go for broke. Price is ideal (no draft pick compensation attached), otherwise, Greinke is the only guy who'd justify draft pick forfeiture. Cueto is a high-risk, high-reward guy who would not have compensation attached either. Other than those three, I don't see the FA market as a good avenue for acquiring pitching for the Sox.

An ace, some SP depth and a couple bench pieces is what they need.

So you'd give up two draft picks picks for two decent pitchers, instead of zero for Price? I'd sign Price, and trade for an innings eater while keeping my draft possibilities intact.

Your assesment of the Sox' inability to acquire premium pitching is completely and utterly incorrect, and I will explain why. Besides of the inherent difficulty that comes with drafting premier pirching while not really having picks in the range required to acquire said type of pitcher, the real problem with the franchise has been its use of assets. They hold on too long to prospects they should deal, and keep kids that don't have the potential to start too long in that role, instead of converting them to relief early and creating a self-sustainable BP. With balance being the name of the game today, teams are winning when they have many ways to win, like the Royals and Texas last year. Teams trade propspect currency for good pitching all the time. It's not a novel concept. And that's why Dombrowski was brought in. Look at the juggernaut rotation he built in Detroit when the only good pitcher he drafted was Verlander. When this team manages a better use of its MiLB resources, they will be able to create another winner. It's not about drafting pitching, it's about drafting valuable assets.

Tigers are on life support now though.

I think that with Larry gone, and a strong personality like DD with lots of power, the Sox will have a clear path to follow from here on out. The problem is, will it be a path that moves the needle towards a sustainably competitive team, or will he create a "short-term win window" juggernaut like he did in Detroit? A fair question if you ask me.

Favorites might be a bit of a stretch, considering the question marks at 1B, 3B, and how the rotation and BP actually play out, but certainly competitive.

They didn't retain Lester because they didn't want to (ownership).

We heavily disagree here. You're underselling the value of IP. Not only that, Buch has the ability to not only not pitch a lot of innings, but also get terrible results in the process, or pitch decent innings but get terrible results, as he did in 2012 and 2014. There's value in consistency, and Buchholz is nothing if not inconsistent.

I was about to say "Move Panda for Shields, then get a 3B option like Lawrie" actually.